Movie News Wrap Up: July 21st, 2012

Kevin Costner gets his career on track in McFarland; Kevin Kline takes as gamble on Last Vegas; Gough and Millar polish a Diesel powered Machine and Hawkeye replaces Batman for in David O. Russell’s latest.

Kevin Costner has signed on to Disney’s sporting drama, McFarland.

According to Variety:

“Described as a cross between Remember the Titans and Coach Carter, project is based on the true story of high school coach who comes to the predominantly poor, Latino town of McFarland, Calif. and creates a cross-country team that becomes a championship-winning dynasty. Costner is making a deal to play the coach.”

Whale Rider director Niki Caro will helm the film from a script which she wrote with Grant Thompson.

It’s another sporting film for Costner, who mainly specializes in baseball flicks (and westerns). Disney also has a solid track record in sporting dramas, scoring box office gold with the likes of the aforementioned Remember the Titans and The Rookie.

Source: Variety

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Kevin Kline is going to Vegas. The Fish Called Wanda actor (I’m sure he hates that) has joined the cast of Last Vegas, a Hangover-style comedy that also stars Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro and Morgan Freeman.

Christopher Walken was previously in the running for the role, which sees four old friends hit Vegas for a a bachelor weekend. Jon Turteltaub will direct the film, which is sure to be popular with people of a certain age – and me.

Smallville creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar have been hired to rewrite the Vin Diesel starrer The Machine.

According to Deadline, the film is “about a human-like machine created in secrecy by the Pentagon to be the world’s first ultimate weapon. After the machine was decommissioned and buried it is discovered, reactivated and befriended by a kid 20 years later. When the government learns that it’s back in operation, the machine’s mission becomes to protect the family harboring him.”

Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant penned the original draft of the script, but it looks like MGM want to get it just right, because they have hopes that it will spawn a franchise – that is why they hired the writers of I Am Number Four.

The increasingly busy Jeremy Renner has replaced Christian Bale opposite Bradley Cooper in David O. Russell’s next, currently untitled film which was previously called American Bulls**t.

According to Variety:

“[The] pic is based on the true story of a notorious financial con artist and his mistress who were forced to work with an intense and ambitious FBI agent to turn the tables on other con artists, mobsters and politicians.

…Cooper is in negotiations to play the con artist, Mel Weinberg, who worked with the FBI as the star witness in its far-reaching Abscam corruption case that stretched from Atlantic City all the way to the steps of Congress. Renner is in talks to co-star as Jimmy Boyle, the FBI agent who busts Weinberg and then partners with him in the sting.”

Both Bale and Russell are known for having hot tempers, so maybe everyone involved dodged a tabloid frenzy.